If You Could Only See
by Gen X
Summary: Songfic. When Cassie and the other members of Young Justice get kidnapped, it's up to Superboy and Lobo to blow the roof off the joint and shut the people responsible down for good. Love is a powerful motivator.
1. If you could only see the way she loves ...

Disclaimer: Characters owned and operated by DC comics, used without permission and without profit. No copyright infringement is intended. The song "If You Could Only See" is copyright the musical group Tonic, it also is used without permission.

Author Notes: A tiny plot hole: Cissie King-Jones has gone on this mission as Arrowette even though she is no longer an active part of Young Justice if Anita and Lobo are on the team. 

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**If You Could Only See **  
By Gen X

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_**If you could only see the way she loves me...**_

  


So it all happened so fast, you see? Badda bing. Badda boom. Isn't that just the way life goes? You think that for one moment you can get some peace, that the roller coaster ride just maybe has stopped, and that's when you go a-hurtling through the loop-de-loop. 

It was cloud nine, I'm telling you. In a word: bliss. The odd thing was I couldn't even tell you when it started. One moment she's my stalker, then my teammate, my friend, my girlfriend, and all the while she just started to be more. More and more important to me. I blissfully gave her little bits of my heart and she gave me all of hers. 

So yeah, to say she's important is an understatement. The understatement. Of the century. 

She's just Cassie. Everything she does is Cassie. No one can imitate it, no one can duplicate and I wouldn't want anyone to try. Only she can smile like that, or frown and pout. And then there's this look, you see? She gets it every so often. Usually about trivial stuff but sometimes about the serious mushy stuff. Her eyes light up, her voice changes slightly, it's not a reaction you can fake. It's something real and spur of the moment and just Cassie. That's what it is: the Cassie look. So that's why I'm doing this. 

I ain't the Kid for nothing and I'm not going to let the last visage of her be that determined snarl she fixes on her face when she's fighting. So I'm going back, simple as that. Ain't no one gonna stop me. 

  



	2. Then maybe you would understand

  


_**Then maybe you would understand...**_

  


Rob's ankle's busted; I'm wondering how he's still standing. He's probably using some Zen bat trick. Also, I have no doubt he's got more owies that he ain't telling us about, he likes to show off and be stoic like that. Cissie's right eye has a deep purple bruise. She got clocked good and it had to hurt. It's puffy, purple, and swollen shut. Even if she could string an arrow-- which she can't at the moment-- with only one good eye for sight, she sure as hell couldn't hit a target. They really can't help, not that they would want to now. 

They're looking at me like I don't know what the definition of retreat is. I do. It's so you can go back and kick ass some other day. Only I'm not waiting for tomorrow. I'm not going to "hang on" while they ring the moon. I'm rearing to go now, and if she was here, she would be too. 

"No." 

And there it is folks. The word that would be an argument. 

"You're not going." Robin's quite vocal about this. He's putting on a good show too, standing in the doorway daring me to move him. It'd be more impressive a gesture and easier for me to be harsh if he looked like he wasn't about to pass out. 

I'm tired, I'd love to scream and yell about this, especially to Rob. I know it's not his fault, but hey, it makes me feel better, but part of me knows he's right. And a larger more frustrated part of me doesn't want to listen to that sentiment. That's the part of me that just wants to fly up through the skylight and go off in a huff just to prove my point. 

"We need help." There he goes with the logic again. It's really quite annoying. Just makes me want to hit something... or someone. 

"Fine. You call for back up. I'm going in." Oh yeah, baby, lay on the slick. 

"This isn't some silly stupid action movie Kon!" Cissie protests. "We barely got out of there!" 

"That's exactly it! We got out! They didn't. I'm going back. Simple." 

"Those bastiches won't even know what hit 'em." 

Well that was unexpected and I jump on the defense. "Who said you were comi--" and then it clicks. "Right. Right. So you make your vid calls and tell them to catch up with us." 

And Cissie starts protesting again. Quite loudly. Talking quickly and with limited arm gestures. I'm not paying attention cause I just don't want to hear it. 

"Let him go." 

And of course, shocked as all heck, everyone turns to look at Rob. I nod, it seems only right and it's about as much thanks I'm going to express at the moment. Gotta save face, y'know, 'cause I'm right. 

"And good luck," he says. 

And we're off. 

  



	3. Why I feel this way about our love

**_Why I feel this way about our love..._**

The cycle's trashed. It barely made it back, in fact, technically it didn't. It dropped down about a mile south of our HQ. Normally, I'd just fly. Chicks dig the flying thing. But Mr. My-Motorcycle-Is-Burning-Oil-and-Not-Armed Lobo is putting a damper on that plan. He came up with a solution and it's one I never would have thought of. 

The Max rides again. Pretty spiffy too. We just hit that big ol' button for hyper speed and kick it into plaid . We're cruising baby, in style. Lobo's piloting and I probably should be getting the game plan together, but so far it simply boils down to a lot of fighting, which annoys me cause I know I can do better than that. 

"Didn't think you had the guts to stay in it and frag 'em to the end," Lobo says. 

He would have stayed, if he had a choice. Second round he went flying through the air, hitting soldiers, and going through a few walls that by the time we found him we were already ready to retreat. Unconsciousness does not a stubborn teammate make. I think he's going simply cause he missed out on the action, either way it helps my odds. 

So, they aren't really my odds. They're Suzie's and Bart's. They're Anita's and Cassie's. And honestly it doesn't look good. We need a strategy and maybe some well time pre-informed cavalry. We'll see if Rob makes the call. 

"Never woulda figgered you fer a romantic," Lobo criticizes. Only he could insult love. 

So I insult back. "I could say the same thing about you and Anita." 

"She's an interesting one, I'll give her that. She's got this dark side, and man, is it great!" 

I let the conversation die right there because I'm sure I don't want to know. 

"'Nita's one in a million you know," he asserts. 

"Cassie's one of a kind." 

  



	4. And what I must do

_**And what I must do...**_

The complex sticks out from the ground like a great giant bull's eye in a sea of green. Isolated in the Oklahoma wilderness the iron and metal is an eyesore. It ain't designed to be discreet but it's located to stay hidden. The Max is hovering many, many yards above as we try to figure out which door to knock on. Not to mention how we're gonna knock. There doesn't look like there's an easy way inside, and part of me is happy that there isn't one. We can't get in the same way we did before... and hopefully we won't leave the same way we did. 

So with a choice between the hard way and the hard way, it's time to kick a little ass. My bet's on the nauseating side-- that these guys are funded by the government. Everything they did was too efficient for hired help. But we're not sweating it cause we're the good guys and they're the bad guys and we'd be concerned but we never get past the fact that we're fricking idiots for doing this anyways. 

Take one high powered explosive plus one wave registering 5.5 on the Rictor scale and you have a living breathing chaos factor. We set up The Max to give them a few little nifty keep-'em-busy toys. You don't know how much I'm wishing I had the arsenal on the cycle at this moment. So the ship's hovering and kinda dodging and ugh, I have to carry Lobo down. I shouldn't complain 'cause you know, he's really alright. 

Soldiers on the ground. A TTK waves knocks them all to the deck. We skirt away and try for the back entrance. Lobo frags the door while I try to find a window. I'm busy watching his back, he's enjoying his assault far too much I think. Soldier's are piling up, more are coming out of the building. By this rate, there won't be anyone left inside, which would be a good thing. 

Lobo pries the doors apart, the corridor is black, red klaxons intermittingly flashing but not a soul in sight. We're in and it only took us a good thirty minutes. And yes, all hell has broken loose. 

We might not be subtle, but it works. 

  



	5. If you could only see how blue her eyes ...

_**If you could only see how blue her eyes can be when she says...**_

It takes us a while. And I mean a long while. Sporadically, we'd run into soldiers-- usually on their way somewhere else. Apparently, The Max knocked down quite a few of their systems and they're running blind with radio transmissions filled mostly with static. We take more than a few wrong turns, back track far too often, and I'd put money down that we ran around in circles. I won't admit it, mind you. 

Then we find it. The door that says Experimental Subjects. And there's little dates next to the names outside. From today. I'll say one thing about these bad guys, they move fast. 

Need a pass code to enter, so we blow the door. 

She's not a pretty sight at all. 

But, because she's alive, she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Her hair is matted with filth, or blood, or stuff I just don't want to know about. All her limbs are hanging in relatively the right position but she's out cold. 

There's a monitor by her head, wires and stickies running between here and it. A beep-beep machine keeps rhythm above. I hope it's only measuring her brain waves or something rather then scrambling them. The knee jerk reaction is to turn off the damned machine but too many wires and too many friends make me think again. 

"Yo. 'Nita! Snap out of it!" Lobo waves his hand in front of Emp's face. He snaps his fingers and pulls her hair. It doesn't work; she ain't moving. He lifts an eyelid but it's a no go. She's far gone and there's still a lot of wires. I feel like I'm disarming a bomb only the only thing going to blow up is the hearts of three friends. 

There's gotta be... 

Three friends? 

"I've got an idea." 

"Hope it involves punching someone." 

"Er... not yet." 

  



	6. When she says she loves me

_**When she says she loves me...**_

It's a long shot. It's such a long shot, so much so that I have this feeling that everything would work out perfectly for Rob. He'd find Secret in the middle of God knows where and she would have seen what happened in the middle of God knows what and then we'd be able to disconnect everyone, God willing. 

Hell. Who am I kidding? Rob would have been smart enough to figure out all those dials and knobs and flashing lights. I know, even before trying that if we're going by my luck, we're already doomed. Especially when I haven't a clue where to start. 

We race aimlessly, avoid guards, they're too busy anyways. We enter every room that might possibly be housing her. Experimental this. Research subject that. They're some freaky shit, I'm telling you. Like 12.0 on a barf meter of ten. But sooner than later, we find her. 

"Suzie!" 

I bang hard on the glass, but it doesn't help. She's in a tube, and there some thin blue energy flickering inside of it. Whatever it is, it sure looks painful. Can we say DEO déjà vu? Her eyes are open but not focused. She jerks every time the blue stuff rips through her. I bang again, c'mon girl, give me a sign. 

Lobo's touching the glass around her and looking at the monitors. They're measuring something in jigawatts and my Hollywood education clicks in. The blue stuff is electricity, glass isn't a conductor, but apparently Secret is. Here we are, once again, back at display screens and dials. The system's in default accessed by log in and password. We're back to square one. 

Lobo takes another look at the readings, touches the glass again, and looks at me. I just know what he's going to do without him saying anything. He pulls his fist way back, waits patiently while the electricity hits a lull in the cycle, and then, thud, smash, some sizzling and I swear I saw his skeleton for a moment. 

The glass falls to the floor and the electricity is bouncing in the tube unaware that Secret's slumped out and without her it doesn't have anywhere to go. There's only one problem-- okay two. Lobo's hair got more than a little singed. It had to hurt because he's breathing heavy and two, Secret's still slumping. I mean she's almost gone through the floor and who knows where she's gonna go next. 

Before I can blink, Lobo makes a grab for her and sticks his hand in the electricity again. He's crazy, but it works. Literally shocked, Secret's body jerks. She's still out of it thought but she's no longer falling. Lobo motions with a nod towards the computer console. 

"What good is that gonna do?" I ask. 

"The coffee," he clarifies. 

I get it but he's crazy. "You're crazy." 

"No choice." 

And there's a very good reason why coffee and electricity don't mix. The liquid provides a perfect conductor over most of her body. Her scream is ear splitting and Secret launches herself up and away and has gone right through the ceiling. Damnit! If it's not one thing it's another. Thankfully, she's back in less time than it takes to say Jiminy Jilikers . 

"Are you okay?" 

She nods, her nerves-- no matter what they're made out of-- are shaking. 

"Where is everyone?" she asks and with that statement I know my plan just turned into a impossibility. 

"This way. Let's go." 

We made our way back to the hallway. Autopilot Max must still be continuing his siege. Secret gasps in horror at the sight of everyone. She doesn't know what to do and that she can't help. That frustrates me more than it does her. 

"We're not leaving them here," I assert. It's all or nothing. 

Cassie hasn't changed. She's still on that plastic slab, half slumped half standing. They're all still breathing and the beeps are going at the same rate, at least I'm pretty sure. If it weren't for the room, the wires, the uckies, she might actually be able to pass for sleeping. If only she would open her eyes. God, if she would just do that. 

"But what do we do?" Secret protests. She floats behind the tables behind the monitors through the wires trying to do something, anything productive. 

"We can't just leave 'em," Lobo says and just yanks the wires from above Anita's head out of their sockets. 

The effect is instantaneous. Sparks and groaning metal drown out my shout of protest but it's already too late. What the hell is he doing? It's a risk that isn't his to take. Shit! Anita's convulsing. She's going into shock. I blow the restraints still pinning her down and lay her on the floor, hoping it will end soon. 

"Shake it off Anita. C'mon..." and I think the Top Teen is truly insane. He notices something I haven't, her eyes are open and no longer unfocused. The convulsions stop and she's breathing heavily but thank God-- she's still breathing. 

We give her a moment, more than that really, to get her bearings then hash out the details with her. She was out and doesn't know what happened either. It looks like there's only one way to go. Lobo reaches for Cass but I stop him. 

"She might remember, Imp was clocked," Lobo points out. 

I'm selfish. I'm selfish. I admit that and if something happens to Bart I'll never be able to forgive myself but if something happens to Cass I would never be able to live with myself. 

I pull rank whatever that counts for. Bart's next. Cassie's last. And that's just the way it's gonna be. Lobo steps back, the meaning clear. If I'm the one protesting this, I'm gonna be the one that does it. Anita and Lobo hold Bart up while I blow the cuffs. I take a deep breath and then yank the wire. 

So here it is, take two. Instantly, he starts to convulse. His eyes are open but I don't think he comprehends anything he's seeing yet. His whole body is shaking and hopefully nothing will-- shit, shit, shit, no no no no no no no no no-- too fast. It's too fast, he's vibrating... shit shit shit. 

Anita tries to grab his shoulder, but it's a no go, she goes right through him. We should all know better than to try. "Mon! Look at me! Try to stay calm! Try to focus!" she commands. 

It's all my fault. I kneel down on the floor. "Bart," I start softly but firmly. "Listen to me. I need you to listen. You need to calm down. It'll be okay. Calm. Calm. Nice and easy." 

His eyes lock with mine, and thank God he starts slowing. 

"That's it. Shhh... just stay calm." 

And slowly, slowly, he stops. We're all crowding around him stealing the air but we can't help but be concerned. He blinks and finally registers everything. 

"I don't feel too good," he complains weakly. It's the understatement of the year, and we all just sort of smile to relieve the tension. That's the Impulse we know and love. 

We take a rest after Bart. Emotionally, we need it. We recover quickly simply because there's not enough time. Anita and Lobo hold up Cass and the restraints go first, I take another breath and here we go. One, two, three. Yank! They drop her to the ground and I get a flying right to the as and she just goes spastic. I mean insane, and it's not a good sign. Open your eyes Cass! Open your eyes! Come on Cass! Cass! 

"Open up your eyes!" 

They fly wide open and she gasps for air. 

"Easy, easy," I coax. "You're gonna be fine." 

Her eyes lock with mine and she struggles to stop. 

"Kon--" and just by the look in her eyes I know what's she's going to say. Her eyes have that twinkling blue essence. She looks so run down, so weary, but her eyes have light. I know what it is. It's love without the words. 

"I know, babe. I know." 

I help her to her feet and she clings to me unsteadily. I hold her tightly, I ain't ever letting go. 

  



	7. Well you've got your reasons

_**Well you got your reasons...**_

We're off. 

Running through the hallways. Imp wants to scout but he's sluggish so that gets ixnayed. Lobo's got point and I'm bringing up the rear. A long time ago the sounds of the overhead alarms have stopped. I don't know of the bad guys turned them off or if The Max did that much damage. The silence is noticeable only because the explosions have stopped as well. I hope nothing happened to Bart's ship-- after all it's our only way back. Just when everything looks darkest-- the lights go off! 

"It can't get much worse," Secret says. 

"Don't even be joking about that!" Lobo scolds. 

Some generator somewhere kicks in and faint lights come on. They're set to the perfect dimmer setting for romance-- but that thought doesn't even breakthrough my battered skull. Imp stops short, he'd edged in front most likely without even realizing it. Lobo moves deftly to one side to avoid running into him. Cass flies right over them before stopping. Anita skids to stop from slamming into Lobo. 

"What's wrong?" 

"I think... we're lost." Bart looks around, bewildered. 

Splitting up is not an option. We were fighting as a team before and look where it got us. So while Bart and Secret would be ideal scouts-- we're not gonna risk it. Simple as that. So we do the next stupidest thing-- split up into groups. 

Lobo, Emp, and Suzie will go thataway. Cass, Bart, and I'll go thisaway. The teams are lopsided, but so long as Anita and Bart are on different sides they can meet up back here without a problem. What should be changed is that Emp and Cass should switch places. That way each team has two victims, one scout, one flyer, and one rescuer. Lobo'd kill me for objecting. Anita probably would too, not that I'm planning to or anything. 

When last we came in was from some underground bunkers by the front door. Rob had a map, well an electronic display pretending to be a map. He planned it out and we actually did pretty damn good before we realized we walked into a trap. From that moment on, all the info we had was thrown away and we were running blind. 

What we could have used then and still could now is a big flashing neon sign that says EXIT, what we get is just one dark corridor after another. As we plow through people and machines and cameras, I gotta wonder if us being the good guys charging in was the best way to ever go. We had a good reason-- we always have a good reason. The best intentions with the worst planning, that's the YJ media nightmare. 

This one actually sounded simple, Anita found a file liberated from her dad and by the time Suze was up in arms about experiments, Robbie had already gotten his brain hardwired into the net. Since we weren't due at the community construction problem for a month, our social calendar was more than open. 

Lucky us. It gets us battered, bruised, lost all without nothing to show. 

We're paused at an intersection. Bart's zipping down the corridors trying to scout. Cassie's smashing the overheard cameras and I have no doubt that it makes her feel very, very good. I'm reading the carefully stenciled signs. Cafeteria to the left of us. Research labs behind us. Ground level to the right. Control Center dead ahead. 

We've come this far, might as well go for all or nothing. Yeah, it's pushing our luck in a major way, but I don't wanna come back a third time. 

"Imp, go get the others. We'll meet up with you here. Cass and I are gonna take a look around." and I gesture straight ahead. 

Bart frowns. "That's not the way out." 

"We're taking a little detour. Cass doesn't mind, do you Cass?" 

"Not a bit," and she fixes that determined look on her face and flies off ahead. 

I take off after her and join her before she reaches the main doors. Shoulder to shoulder, baby, right by her side. 

  



	8. And you got your lies

_**And you got your lies...**_

"You want to? Or should I?" she asks as she sets down. 

"After you my lady," and I gesture grandly to the doors. 

She takes a moment to ready herself, an obvious sign she still ain't doing that well. The sweat from exertion is starting to bead on her forehead. The blue in her eyes doesn't twinkle mischievously like it should nor does it have that steely cold determined look. She's fatigued and we both know it. She's hesitating, but I sure ain't gonna call her on it. 

"Both of us? On three?" I ask. A little TTK can go a long way. 

She nods and readies herself. We're gonna count it off and we're gonna jump. She smiles and looks at me with twinkling eyes. I know what she's gonna say. Extra numbers just get in the way. 

"Three!" 

Love the TTK. The door doesn't really blow off its hinges but there's a big enough bang. Enough to make people go, "What the hell was that?" No smoke, wish there was smoke. Smoke would be dramatic. But the bent and twisted metal has a charm all its own I have to admit. 

The only thing missing is the surprised inept soldier's spilling their day old coffee on themselves. Hell, I'd settle for people period. Rows and rows of computers are daunting. But hey, look ma! Security cameras and look: half of them still work. I'm not that much of a voyeur so I make the monitors and circuits go pop-pop-fizz-fizz and four tiny televisions switch to static. 

There's gotta be more electronic stuff here that we can mess with. Other wise it's a pretty low budget Command Center and everything about this place contradicts that. I've got a hinky feeling and I know it ain't the chili dogs from last night. 

"Where is everybody?" Cass checks the doors on the walls. Supplies. Lab coats. Supplies. Boxes. Boxes. Boxes. 

"Not a clue." Start tapping on the computer touch screen. Another password needed. Great, I give! There's gotta be something here that'll you know, incriminate them by revealing their plans for world domination. Or something like that. They are the bad guys after all. 

Cass is rifling through papers and flip charts and I'm trying to find out what row of cameras is where our friends are at. I thought I saw Bart but by the time I got a good look he was already off the screen and I have no clue which camera's got him now. I scan the rest of them but it's a lost cause. 

So I get productive and help Cass with the multitude of doors. In mere moments, boxes and files and coats are flung everywhere. There's gotta be something-- Gaaahhh! I stumble back as one of those blue bad guys topples out. Cass looks at me alarmed. 

"What?" I stammer. "I didn't do it!" I shove him off me and he feels like dead weight. Belatedly, I fumble for a pulse, but I can't feel through the armor. I try to tug off the blue metal but it won't budge so I try harder and-- 

KRRRRRrrrrrrrrsheeeeeee!!!! 

Cass gasps in horror. "Kon!" 

"I didn't--" I don't blame her, his arm came off. Wait. Shit, shit, shit! His arm came off! There's going to be blo-- there's not a bit of blood anywhere. And it's not cause he's been dead for too long either. "This guy's not real." 

"What do you mean he's not real?" Cass prods the body-- is it a body?-- with her foot. 

I hold up the Terminator-esque arm with the wires dangling. "As in fully automated the life sized, highly armed, technologically advanced G.I. Joe doll. These guys are what we've been fighting all the time." 

"Someone has to be in charge! Someone real!" 

"Let's hope so. Let's go find the others and hope this isn't some sick experiment gone horribly wrong." 

Insert dramatic chord and cliffhanger here, boys and girls. 

I bet Supes never had days like this. 

  



	9. And you got your manipulations

  


_**And you got your manipulations...**_

When we last saw our intrepid and oh so good looking heroes they had just discovered that all was not right in the universe. An evil robotic conspiracy was sweeping over the land and it wasn't the George Lucas type either. And since we're completely confused we're just going to take a moment and figure out what's going on. 

"Hold up," I say. "Let's try to make this make sense. What's strange about this place?" 

Cass is fidgety, she's pacing and rifling through the papers she's holding without even looking at them. The dead soldier is still at her feet. He's not dead though. He's not real, so he can't be dead. Even when we first got here, we shoulda realized something was up. They were in full armor, face masks, gloves, the works and I never realized until now that they didn't speak. No shouts of "Get them!" "There they are!" None of that stuff, just fire and punching and kicking and ow-ing. A real one track mind, er, program. 

They even fooled Rob. I'd be impressed and gloating but I didn't figure it out either. Well, I kinda did now, after dismembering him. 

"Besides the robo-soldiers? Besides the freaky science fair from hell? Besides the possible government complex out in the middle of nowhere? Besides the--" She's rambling. She's freaking. I don't blame her but I can't even focus long enough to her my own confusion. 

"I get the picture Cass!" I snap. "It makes no sense!" 

She stops talking that sour expression on her face. She throws her hands up in the air exasperated. "Well I don't have the answers! I don't what happened! I don't know why we even came here!" 

"Well, I don't know either!" I snap even as her last words sink in. Why did we come? They were expecting us. We were set up. I forgot about the set up. We've been manipulated from the start. But why? 

The gears are turning in my head. There's gotta be people somewhere. The Caf, the Labs, even a Robot specialist, they can't all be robots. I hope, I hope, I hope. "Look, let's just hang here for a while until Bart gets back and then we'll see what the others think. There's gotta be a reason, you don't go through all this trouble for nothing." 

She's still pissed 'cause I snipped and she turns away. "Whatever. You check the computer, I'll take the closets so you don't rip apart any more of your friends." 

Disgusted and upset, I toss the robo arm on the computer console. We start to work, our backs to each other, both oblivious to the faint red light on the robo's still attached arm. 

  



	10. They cut me down to size

  


_**They cut me down to size...**_

I can open doors. 

But I don't do windows. 

That is my big accomplishment. Cass has found science supplies Beaker Burners and Glass Bunsons all the stuff needed for make your own test tubes. We're still doing the stubborn thing-- so how you ask-- do I know what she found? The distinct sound of glass tinkling and rolling across the floor and shattering can be distracting when there's no other noise. 

We should be talking. Doing the boyfriend-girlfriend thing. But when we talk, first we fight, then talk, then do the kiss and make up thing. Oh yeah. There's no time for all that now, priorities y'know. So the screaming match won't be here and now. But there and later, all that plus the make up thing, oh yeah, bet your life. 

She's got this ticklish spot right behind her-- 

Oh yeah. Priorities. Achem. 

You see, there's this button. You flick it up and the door will open. You flick it down and the door will close. And there's this holo-map screen. You touch a door then flick the button. So I can open doors. I can even close them too. It's so exciting and enrapturing and captivating and every so happy happy joy joy . Yeah. Right. Kill me now. 

I could wrangle all the baddies in one room and just lock them in all tight and snug and wait 'til someone figured out what to do with them. I can even get the map to change from floor by floor to floor, and trust me, there's a lot. Only like two underground, I am so not impressed. It takes at least five sub terrain floors or one giant lab to make an evil villain headquarters. It's in the V.I.L.E. manual. 

The map changes again and check it. It's this room. Hey, there's no door there, so I mean, what the hell right, maybe it's a way out? Or a secret lab or something. Press. Flick. The hydraulic hiss is very, very audible. Cass and me both whirl. And the sound that emanates from the room is very, very, familiar. Or maybe it's the storage center for the evil robots. 

Press. Flick. The door starts closing and we just start to breath easy when the door gets forced opened by blue armor. Cass flies up and tries to force it down, but she can't get leverage. She punches at the fingers holding the door and actually gets some to back off. I bang harder on the computer. C'mon baby, don't fail me now. 

Before Cass can start dealing with everyone else, a hand snakes out from underneath and grabs her ankle. In a blink, she's off her feet, on her back, and sliding towards them. No more closing the door. Decapitated Wonder Girl's do not a full YJ roster make. No more fiddling with the computer. Press, flick, the door flies open. 

Cass gets pulled forward but I'm already on the move. I'm almost ready to play tug of war to get Wondy back when Mr. You-Tore-Off-My-Arm starts shooting at me with his red laser thingy. It catches me on my shoulder and I unwillingly let go of Cass. He fires again, I swerve in mid air, circle around, and land on his back, and blow him apart. No more kid gloves. No more nice. You guys are all scrap metal. 

I rush the ones coming in through the door and-- Whomp! I'm flung backwards. Isn't this a nice wall? Awfully soft cushion. Okay, take two, dramatic hero making a rescue. The first time was a trial run, you know. All right, pig pile in the warehouse. 

Me and Cass get inside, and we are in deep shit. The room is huge and filled with blue tin men that are moving now. This does not look good. We regroup by the door. I've got her back, she's got mine. Kon and Cass versus the World! Going out in a blaze of glory as they wish the odds were equal. 

She connects hard and fast with a robo on her left, he goes flying backwards into three of his buddies. They stagger but recover in no time. I do the same with the guys on the right. They regroup and they get the little blinking lights pointed back at us. They gotta shop at Lasers R Us. Just gotta. It can't be Sponges R Us or something soft like that. We duck and two robo's fry themselves. 

Our eyes meet and we just know that, hell, we'll take all the help we can get. Cass grabs the nearest blue guy, gets a good grip and some leverage. I'm already doing the same. We swing around and bad guys collide in midair. They drop like stones. Four are down for the count. 

Only about three thousand to go. 

We so need a plan. 

  



	11. Sayin' you love but you don't

  


**_Sayin' you love but you don't..._**

So the idea of communicators, when Rob first gave them out, was an automatic no. Well, honestly it was a "Kick ass! JLA-variety! Uber-cool!" reaction. Then, he would call us for meetings. And for mundane-ities. And for mega-boring shit. Not to mention, half the team would forget to wear them. Cissie always left hers in the bathroom. Secret, well, I shouldn't have to explain that one. And mine, would always get trashed by whoever was on Cadmus's take down list. Especially on 'Clean the HQ' days. So, yeah, the point of it all is, we don't have communicators no more. 

And Murphy's law kicks in cause Wondy and I sure could use 'em right about now. But there's no time to bemoan everything now. The Cass-inator flying tackles two of them into the ceiling, then skirts away. They drop like rocks onto three other robos. She hardly gets a moment to breathe when new robos are on her again. 

One grabs her from behind, his arm wrapped around her neck, and she jerks as her flight is stopped. Her face contorts in surprise but that quickly gives way to annoyance and she doubles over, digs her nails in, and flips him forward with enough speed to hit glass and still keep on going. She flings him my way. 

One good punch is all it takes to send him flying back again. It's a tag team effort and just plain sucks to be in the middle. Cass ducks as the flying robo dude comes back her way. Just when he's sailing over my girl snags his ankle and uses all that pent up SB-inspired momentum to hurl him into the wall. 

I'm telling you-- real or not-- that _had_ to hurt. He swan dives into the computer console after ricocheting off the ceiling-- look at all the pretty sparks. The tiny wisps of electricity dance around the metal and you just know it's gonna be bad. But, we don't have time to worry about that now. 

Cass is dodging lasers and trying to get them to take each other out. They're simply swarming up on me and since I don't have time to give each a personal touch, it's waves of TTK all through the room. Electronic parts are littering the floor, about half an inch deep more or less depending on where you're standing. So maybe it was the robo she decked into the computer, maybe it was my wave of TTK-age which shorted out half the systems, or just the freaky robo dude's laser but whatever made it overload, the computer definitely went boom. 

Sparks, fire, shrapnel, and general uckiness invade the air. We put our feet firmly on the ground and lose our advantage but save our scalps. The blast wakes up more of the closet robo dudes and they come a-charging our way. But besides the intermittent lasers, sparks of doom, and new influx of robos, we've got one huge problem: the control room door is going into lockdown mode or something. I'm telling you it's gone crazy. 

Cass has already taken care of one 'Emergency' door. We wedged a few robo's in the doorway to stop the backups from closing vertically, when what of all frickin' overkills do we get? Little tiny laser webs slowly starting to cut across the doorframe. They look more painful than what robo dudes are packing cause they fry off the paint of those guys. 

Cass and I exchange looks of horror for just one single solitary moment before we have to go back to the fighting. "Exit? Stage left?" I ask. She nods in agreement and starts heading that way. We get about two inches towards the door when robos come up behind us. Three grab Cass and fling her forward, about four or six or ten or some inordinate amount grab me and try to slam me into the floor. Cass flies through the open door just as I get pig piled. I'm already up and running, making them go back into DIY kits with a touch of the Kid. 

There's just too many (hence our retreat) we can't get through them if they don't wanna let us pass and baby, those lasers are counting down. Cass is on the outside looking in. I'm on the inside and damnit, I want out! But I don't think I'm gonna get that opportunity, so it's all on her. 

She's gotta make a choice. Despite the fact, I'm punching and dodging my eyes are locked with hers. 'Cause she is where my focus oughta be. Three more beams just kicked on. A few more and she won't be able to get back in and I won't be able to get out. The stupid red beams are ticking. 

She looks at me. Her face not conveying anything. Just neutral Cass and she makes her choice. I can see it in her eyes, which have to say everything she wants me to know because it's impossible to hear over the noise. If I could hear her, she'd say it's the right thing to do. She'd say it's the only thing she can do. And that's to go, in search of help. For us. For me. So it ain't the blaze of glory and triumph of Kon and Cass. So it isn't what I wanted from her. I don't want her to leave. 

I watch as she turns and flies down the hallway. 

Part of me can't help thinking, if she loved me, she'd stay right down to the end. 

Or at least a plausible scenario of the end. 

  



End file.
